Want to track the exact thread where "Pepe the Frog" evolved from a comic character to a political symbol? An archive search for "Feels Good Man" restricted to /b/ from 2009-2011 will give you a granular timeline.
When you visit a 4chan archive, you are essentially looking at a snapshot of a board from a specific point in time. These sites usually offer by keyword, date, or thread ID—features that the actual 4chan site purposefully lacks. The Most Notable 4chan Archives
If you want to create your own text-based archive, several open-source tools are available:
